Sunday, May 23, 1999 Published at 13:25 GMT 14:25 UKUK PoliticsAllies 'united' on Kosovo troopsRobin Cook says there is no rift with Madeleine AlbrightUK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook says the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has endorsed the idea of deploying ground troops in Kosovo in a "non-permissive" environment.

Mr Cook met Mrs Albright in Washington last week during a brief visit to discuss the conflict in the Balkans.

He told the BBC's Breakfast With Frost programme: "There is no rift between the US and the UK. We are solidly behind our objectives which is to get the Serbs out of Kosovo, get Nato into Kosovo and get the refugees back into Kosovo.

"What we now need to do is to build on the success of the air campaign and are ready to take advantage of it when the time comes to take the refugees back

"And on that I am pleased to say that while I was there Madeleine Albright did say that we should go ahead with our plans so that we can deploy our troops in a permissive or non-permissive environment."

More troops

Mr Cook said Nato had been asked to bolster its forces in the Balkans to about 40,000 troops.

He said when it entered Kosovo it would be "more than a peacekeeping force".

Mr Cook said: "We're not talking about people in blue helmets with light side arms.

"It would be a substantial military force capable of providing real security and reassurance to the people of Kosovo, because without that the refugees won't go back."

US troops fortify the Rinas airbase in Albania

Mr Cook said reports of a mutiny by a Serbian battalion in Kosovo showed the low morale among Yugoslav forces, and he said a third of their weapons had been destroyed along with half their ammunition.

He said: "As they get weaker, we're getting stronger."

Mr Cook denied the air campaign had taken longer than was envisaged.

He said: "We always knew it was going to be a long haul, but we have got the stomach for it."

He gave an individual anecdote to emphasise his point.

"There is a refugee now in Britain who left her home in an advanced state of pregnancy.